GREGORY PAGE - JOHN DOE SESSIONS, 1999

GREGORY PAGE 

THE JOHN DOE SESSIONS 

BIZARRE PLANET RECORDS, CD, 1999 

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GREGORY PAGE HAS BEEN A STAPLE OF THE LOCAL SAN DIEGO SINGER-SONGWRITER SCENE FOR MANY YEARS, RELENTLESSLY CHURNING OUT A UNIQUE BLEND OF SMOOTH, JAZZY CROONER-FOLK, AMERICANA, BLUEGRASS, AND CABARET, IN THE TRADITION OF JAMES TAYLOR, PAUL SIMON AND EVEN LEONARD COHEN, FOR UPWARDS OF THIRTY YEARS.  HE WAS THE ORIGINAL BASSIST FOR THE RUGBURNS, TOURING THE UNITED STATES AND PLAYING ON THEIR THREE RELEASES, "MORNING WOOD," "MOMMY, I'M SORRY," AND "TAKING THE WORLD BY DONKEY," BEFORE LEAVING TO PURSUE HIS SOLO CAREER FULL TIME. GREGORY WAS BORN IN APRIL, 1963, ON EASTER SUNDAY, IN NORTH LONDON, ENGLAND.  HIS ARMENIAN FATHER, KRIKOR HOVELIAN (GREGORY WOULD NOT MEET HIM FOR ABOUT FOUR DECADES AFTER HIS BIRTH), WAS A POP SINGER IN THE BAND THE MARTIANS, WHICH SPENT SOME OF THE SIXTIES  AMONG THE MANY BEAT GROUPS IN HAMBURG, GERMANY.  HIS MOTHER, MOY PAGE,  WAS AN IRISH SAXOPHONE PLAYER AND THE LEAD SINGER OF ONE OF BRITAIN'S FIRST ALL-FEMALE GROUPS, THE BEAT-CHICS, WHO OPENED FOR THE BEATLES FOR TWO SHOWS IN SPAIN IN 1965.  KRIKOR AND MOY MET WHILE ON TOUR, ON THEIR WAY TO THE MIDDLE EAST.  

U.K.'S THE BEAT-CHICS

"NOW I KNOW" - THE BEAT-CHICS, DECCA RECORDS, 1964

GREGORY STUDIED CLASSICAL GUITAR AT LONDON'S TRINITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC.  AT THE AGE OF FOURTEEN HIS FAMILY RELOCATED TO THE UNITED STATES, LANDING HIM IN THE CALIFORNIA NEIGHBORHOOD OF NORTH PARK IN SAN DIEGO.  HE STARTED WRITING POETRY AND BECAME FOCUSED ON BECOMING A MORE SKILLED MUSICIAN.  WHEN GREGORY WAS ABOUT TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OLD, HE DECIDED TO BEGIN TAKING SONG WRITING SERIOUSLY.  HE RELEASED HIS FIRST ALBUM, "DRAWING DOWN THE MOON," IN 1990.  HIS SECOND ALBUM, "THE ROMANTIC ADVENTURES OF HARRY," WAS RELEASED ON BED PAN RECORDINGS IN 1993, THEN RE-RECORDED AND RE-RELEASED IN 1996 ON BIZARRE/PLANET RECORDS.  HE JOINED THE RUGBURNS IN 1993 AND PLAYED WITH THEM UNTIL AROUND 1995 OR 1996.  FOR A LONG TIME HE PLAYED ALMOST MONTHLY (SOMETIMES MORE) AT OCEAN BEACH COFFEE HOUSE JAVA JOE'S.  HE FORMED A PROJECT CALLED THE HATCHET BROTHERS WITH FRANK LEE DRENNEN OF THE SAN DIEGO BAND LOAM.  HE WOULD CONTINUE TO PLAY JAVA JOE'S WHEN THE VENUE MOVED SEVERAL TIMES AND BECAME A BAR, AFTER THE ORIGINAL LOCATION WAS ACQUIRED BY STARBUCKS (MUCH TO THE IRE OF THE OCEAN BEACH RESIDENTS AND JAVA JOE'S REGULARS).  GREGORY BECAME A ROUTINELY FEATURED HEADLINER AT LESTAT'S, A COFFEE SHOP AND SMALL LIVE MUSIC VENUE IN THE KENSINGTON DISTRICT OF SAN DIEGO.  AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF PERFORMING MAINLY LOCALLY AS A SOLO ARTIST, HE BEGAN TRAVELLING AND PERFORMING EXTENSIVELY AROUND THE WORLD.

GREGORY PAGE HAS PERFORMED WITH AND PRODUCED MUSIC FOR ARTISTS SUCH AS JASON MRAZ, TOM BROSSEAU, JOHN C. REILY, JEWEL, AND HAS EVEN OPENED FOR PEOPLE LIKE BOB DYLAN.  WHILE HE HASN'T HAD MUCH SUCCESS IN THE MAINSTREAM MARKET IN THE UNITED STATES, HE HAS DONE SOMEWHAT WELL IN EUROPE, PARTICULARLY GERMANY AND BELGIUM, AND HAS GATHERED A DEDICATED FOLLOWING OF FANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.  
GREGORY PAGE IS AS AUTHENTIC AS YOU CAN GET.  TO QUOTE JASON MRAZ, "HE'S THE REAL DEAL."  HE IS A HUMBLE, PERSONABLE GENTLEMAN WHO IS ALWAYS APPROACHABLE AND NEVER DISMISSIVE.  HE IS NEVER TOO BUSY TO TALK WITH PEOPLE.  HE ALWAYS COMES ACROSS AS A REGULAR PERSON WHO JUST HAPPENS TO HAVE AN AMAZING WEALTH OF NATURAL TALENT AND SKILL.  IT IS OBVIOUS THAT HE LIVES TO WRITE AND PLAY MUSIC THAT HE LOVES.  HE SEEMS TO BE FROM ANOTHER ERA, EXUDING THE HIGHEST QUALITY MATERIAL IN A WORLD THAT ELEVATES "ARTISTS" WHO POSSESS VERY LITTLE TRUE TALENT.  DURING A TIME OF DEGENERACY AND SUPERFICIALITY, HE HAS BEEN AN ENDLESS REPOSITORY OF UNDISCOVERED CLASSICS.  PEOPLE ARE TRULY MISSING OUT.  IF YOU EVER HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH HIM LIVE, DO IT.  

GREGORY PAGE AT JAVA JOE'S

"THE JOHN DOE SESSIONS" WAS PRODUCED BY JOHN DOE OF CLASSIC LOS ANGELES PUNK BAND X (HENCE THE TITLE). IN ADDITION TO PRODUCING THE RECORD, JOHN DOE PERFORMED BACKING VOCALS AND ACOUSTIC GUITAR.  THE SONGS WERE RECORDED IN CHATSWORTH, CALIFORNIA IN OCTOBER, 1997 BY TRAVIS DICKERSON, WHO ALSO PLAYED PIANO ON THE RECORD.  THE MUSIC AND LYRICS FOR ALL SONGS WERE WRITTEN BY GREGORY PAGE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF "THE GREAT MYSTERY," WHICH WAS CO-WRITTEN BY STEVE POLTZ OF THE RUGBURNS, WHO PERFORMED BACKING VOCALS ON THE SONG, AND "WAY BACK WHEN?" CO-WRITTEN BY SCOTT IRELAND. SCOTT IRELAND ALSO PERFORMED ELECTRIC AND ACOUSTIC SLIDE GUITAR AND BACKING VOCALS THROUGHOUT THE RECORD.  LEGENDARY DRUMMER JOSH FREESE OF THE VANDALS, DEVO AND NINE INCH NAILS, PLAYED DRUMS ON ALL TRACKS.  DAVID J. CARPENTER PLAYED ELECTRIC AND UPRIGHT BASS, WITH GREG LEISZ PLAYING ELECTRIC AND WEISENBORN GUITARS.  ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS WERE MONEY MARK ON KEYBOARDS, ELLIOT CANE ON TRUMPET, LILI HAYDEN ON VIOLIN, RICH WEISS ON PEDAL STEEL GUITAR, AND ROSEBUD ON BACKING VOCALS.  
ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS "FARE THEE WELL" ON BIZARRE/PLANET RECORDS IN 1997,  IT WAS RE-RELEASED BY BIZARRE/PLANET RECORDS WITH TWO EXTRA TRACKS AND A DIFFERENT TRACK ORDER.  THIS VERSION WAS NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE FOR SALE OR TO LISTEN TO ON THE WEB, SO HERE IT NOW IS.  THIS CD WAS OBTAINED FROM GREGORY HIMSELF AT A SHOW.  IT  IS LIKELY THAT THIS WAS A FAIRLY LIMITED RELEASE.  THIS IS JUST ONE OF MORE THAN TWENTY FULL-LENGTH RELEASES WRITTEN AND RECORDED BY PAGE.  SINCE IT HAS BEEN SO SCARCE, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO POST IT HERE.  THE WORLD HAS BEEN SUCH A SCARY, CRAZY PLACE LATELY, SO MAYBE GIVING THIS A LISTEN CAN HELP SOME PEOPLE RELAX A LITTLE AND ENJOY LIFE MORE AGAIN, TO FOCUS INWARD AND REMEMBER THAT THINGS EVENTUALLY WILL GET BETTER.  WE AS A SOCIETY HAVE OUR WORK CUT OUT FOR US TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS FOR EVERYONE LIVING ON THIS PLANET, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT EACH INDIVIDUAL TAKES SOME PERSONAL TIME TO RECHARGE AND FIND SOME ENJOYMENT IN LIFE AMIDST ALL THE UNCERTAINTY.  GRAB A CUP OF COFFEE OR A COLD BEER, OR ROLL A BLUNT, THROW THIS ON, AND GO TO YOUR HAPPY PLACE.  CALL THOSE YOU CARE ABOUT AND CHECK ON THEM, AND REMIND THEM THAT YOU LOVE THEM.  

(SOURCES - THE SAN DIEGO READER, WIKIPEDIA) 

GREGORYPAGE.COM

TRACKLIST:

1. DIAMONDS AND GOLD 
2. FARE THEE WELL 
3. BLUE 
4. PICTURES IN THE DARK 
5. COCKTAILS AND COLD HEARTS 
6. WALKING IN THE PARK 
7. DOWN AT THE LOCAL 
8. SUPERHERO 
9. LEAVE ME BE 
10. THE GREAT MYSTERY 
11. A LONG WAY FROM HEAVEN 
12. HOLLYWOOD'S HEROES 
13. WAY BACK WHEN? 


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GREGORY PAGE - JOHN DOE SESSIONS 1999